Hitched, y'all!

As of December 1st.... I am Mrs. Feetham!

Photos from our talented photography duo, Landon Jacob Productions

Can I just wear this dress every day?

Southern Bride of the Month!!

Oh my stars!!! It has been an unspoken goal of mine ever since I became an avid reader of Southern Weddings Magazine's blog, to be a Southern Bride of the Month. Each month, SW mag features an engaged "southern belle" and interviews on her trial, tribulations, joys, and fun tid-bits about being engaged and how the wedding planning process is coming along.

And wouldn't you know it...not a single gal had been featured from South Carolina. Craziness, right?! So when I became one of the Southern Bride Bloggers, I was under the radar of the editors. I sent some of my vendors names over to the magazine and lo and behold, this morning when I came into work, I saw I was featured as October's bride!! Sooo exciting!!

See my feature here: October Feature

My 999 day countdown has come to an end!!

And I did exactly what I set out to do...

made my 999 the most exciting days I have ever lived

Many life changing events happened since starting this blog.

I got accepted to grad school

I graduated grad school

I got engaged to the best man I know

I landed a GREAT job and started exactly 1 month from graduation day

I moved back to my hometown...well, Summerville anyway

And I'm planning the most important party I'll every throw

That is, until my daughter gets married

Life. is. crazy.

And it's amazing how much your life can change given only 999 days

What I've completed:

1. Inspire someone to create a 99 in 999 list of their own (count is up to 8 people!)

6. Complete a sprint triathlon (I've done three!!)

8. Adopt a doberman

10. One word: ZUMBA!

12. Don't watch TV for an entire week. This includes watching shows online! (7/7)

13. Send out Christmas cards

15. Go white water rafting

19. Watch all 6 seasons of Lost (6/6)

20. Go kayaking or canoeing

22. Try 50 new beers and find a new favorite (50/50)

23. Try 20 new wines and find a red and white wine I actually like (20/20)

25. Attend 6 friends' weddings (6/6)

28. Play a full round of disc golf

35. Upgrade my road bike

37. Learn how to drive a stick shift

41. Learn a new sport (disc golf!)

42. Find my abs again!

44. Learn how to play poker

45. Travel to IL to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and 2 nieces

46. Go ice skating

48. Complete 5 works of art (5/5)

49. Attend 3 concerts. One must include Dave Matthews (3/3)

50. Publish a book

51. Make the Dean's/President's list each semester of grad school (8/8)

53. Front flip off a dock. For some reason, I am incredibly afraid to do this!

54. Give up something for Lent

58. Replace my glasses

66. Find a church I enjoy in Columbia

68. Choose water over soda or sweet tea 50 times (50/50)

69. Marinate and grill the perfect steak

70. Purchase a nice jewelry hanger for my earrings
72. Participate in Relay for Life and walk for Edna Grace
77. Decorate the house for Halloweek and Christmas one year (2/2)

81. No alcohol for a month (28/28) - OK, so I picked a February month. Sober for Oct. was still a success!

84. Make goodies one day and bring them to work "just because"

87. Make 5 new delicious desserts (5/5)

88. Wake up 30 minutes early to actually fix my hair/makeup before work\

89. No fast food for 1 month (30/30)

90. Learn American Sign Language

93. Buy my first (and probably last) lottery ticket - entered a pool at the office, obvi we did not win!

94. Compliment a stranger

95. Participate in the Cooper River Bridge Run (three times with Stephen!)

96. Enter in a Halloween costume contest

97. Visit a new state

99. Begin a new "99 in 999" list by day 990

What I'm still working on:

7. Read 30 books--school assigned reading does not count (26/30)

9. Finish a 21 day Yoga Challenge (1/21)

18. Make it to the gym regularly for 3 months- regularly being 3-4 times a week (2/3)

33. Watch the complete Star Wars collection (1/6)
34. Hike 5 waterfalls (4/5)

56. Wash my car 5 times. For those of you who know me, you know how difficult this will actually be (2/5)

61. Photograph 40 of my 99 events (22/40)

64. Learn to make 5 cocktails and commit them to memory (3/5)

86. Cook 10 new successful recipes for dinner (8/10)

What I didn't even start!:

2. Eat 14 organic meals (0/14)

3. Go sky diving or bungee jumping - OK so I had the chance to do this, and decided I have too much riding on my staying alive right now lol. Call it a cop out but I have to finish my masters in August and pay off my student loans, and I love my fiance more than I want to risk death
4. Go skiing or snowboarding
5. Travel outside the US. I would love to go to a small Caribbean island or anywhere in Europe!

11. Go horseback riding

14. Bowl a turkey--decide if Wii bowling counts

16. Go wakeboarding out on the lake
17. Learn to speak conversational Spanish

21. Go camping. Sleeping in an RV does NOT count

24. Complete the P90X system

26. Run an 8 minute mile (9 minutes...soooo close)
27. Swim a 500m free in under 10 minutes (although I never timed myself, I'm almost certain I can)

29. Stay at a bed and breakfast
30. Renew my CPR certification
31. Stay at a beach house with friends
32. Create a quilt using my old ESA shirts

36. Participate in the Mud Run

38. Visit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
39. Donate blood-given I gain enough weight to donate! I am 100% sure I will not gain enough weight to donate blood by the end of my 999 days, so in place of this goal: Run a 5k in under 30 min.
40. Visit the Biltmore House

43. Go somewhere new and exciting for New Years

47. Perform in a musical, doesn't have to be lead.

52. Go to DC for the 4th of July to watch the fireworks

55. Go on a roadtrip with my cousins

57. Go rock wall climbing- Strom counts

59. Go snorkeling or scuba diving
60. Visit Six Flags or Carowinds and ride as many roller coasters as I can!

62. Send Christmas or Thank You cards to soldiers overseas
63. Send a care package to Erik while he's in Iraq

65. Sing at a Karaoke bar

67. Learn to make sushi

71. Begin making home brew

73. Donate my hair to Locks for Love
74. Rent a mountain house with friends for the weekend
75. Visit a winery
76. Have a "mother-daughter" day complete with pampering and shopping 

78. Complete the spicy tuna hand roll challenge at Bushido (0/10)
79. Participate in a charity bike ride
80. See a Broadway show. I'd REALLY like to see Wicked!

82. Compose a flute choir rendition of Canon or The Prayer and perform it at church
83. Re-learn how to play the cello

85. Take salsa dancing lessons

91. Drive to PCB over the summer
92. Learn how to surf- SC beaches do not count!

98. Spend a morning meditating on the beach

OK OK, so there's a bit more in yellow than pink

In my defense, the majority of these 999 days was spent in grad school, with no clear idea of what free time was, and 8 of the past 9 months have left my bank account dwindling down to nothing as I worked as an unpaid intern 40 miles away from home. So, as you can imagine, I didn't exactly have time, or especially the funds, to leave the country, go snorkeling, see a Broadway show, or stay at a mountain house. Per my "Golden Rule," to donate $1 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for every goal left incomplete, I will be signing a check of $45 to this charity that's always held a special place in my heart. 

**ESA ladies, point me in the direction of a sister currently fundraising and I can split up the donation**

There are a few, though, that will be crossed of this list by the end of this year!! Including:

5. Travel outside of the US

27. Swim a 500m free in under 10 minutes

59. Go snorkeling

and in the first few months of 2013, Stephen and I will begin to cross one off as a couple in our new blog:

71. Begin making home brew

New blog? You must've missed the announcement...

I'll continue to update this blog until the wedding

Which if you missed that announcement too, is on December 1st!! 

Just a little over 2 months away :-D

After I become a Mrs., you can follow Stephen and I at our new home:

(coming soon!)

The final 30 days!!

I can't believe my 999 days is coming to an end!

I started this as a New Years resolution January 1st, 2010. A countdown to September 27, 2012 giving me 999 days to complete 99 goals. (The List). 

There have been some wonderful memories created by crossing things off this list. Here's a few of my favorites:

1. Inspire someone to create a 99 in 999 list of their own (count is up to 8 people!)

6. Complete a sprint triathlon (I've done three!!)

8. Adopt a doberman

15. Go white water rafting

19. Watch all 6 seasons of Lost (6/6) 

50. Publish a book (my cookbook raised $1,200 for LLS!)

51. Make the Dean's/President's list each semester of grad school (8/8)

90. Learn American Sign Language

95. Participate in the Cooper River Bridge Run (three times with Stephen!)

I didn't realize it until now...but these 8 goals have actually changed my life in HUGE ways!

It felt so awesome each time someone sent me a message saying they had been inspired and were in the process of creating a 99 list of their own. It's been especially exciting watching those of you who have kept up with it and update more than I do (*ahem* I'm talking to you Esther and Katie)!

Adopting a doberman was one of the best things I've ever done. Mika is the best dog!! Seriously, she is. She has so much personality, so quirky, and she's so well behaved. She learns boundaries really quickly and knows where she can and can't go within minutes of being in a new place, where alot of dogs would start running and just keep running! She has never..not even once..chewed on anything but her toys. I'm willing to bet, this time next year, she'll be able to be a "free range dobie" and walk without a leash to the park. (Not that we would..but she could do it!) She is so so smart and learns very quickly - but that's something I knew about dobermans and one of the main reasons I've always wanted one. Besides the fact that they are great guard dogs. I'm convinced our house would've been broken into by now had she not been here with us. Every day is better when she's around :-) 

Speaking of things being better when someone's around...alot of these goals would not have been crossed off without Stephen. He's been my partner in all of this (and we got our start by watching all those seasons of Lost together)! He's participated in 10k's, 5k's, and triathlons with me. Things I'd never once done before he came into my life. He took me to Colorado, brought me hiking, white water rafting, canoeing, introduced me to a new sport (disc golf - of which I can say I'm not too terrible at). He helped me create my cookbook, which helped me raise $1,200 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He motivates me, pushes me, and encourages me. He's amazing.

And that's why..after the 999 days is over in September and we get back from our honeymoon in December and the dust from holidays settles, our New Years resolution for 2013 will be to start another 99 list as a couple!! But because there were many things I didn't get to on my "bucketlist" because I am master of procrastination, shortening the amount of days we have to complete it sounded like a good idea. So instead of having almost 1,000 days to countdown, we're cutting that number in half. 500 days. That's it.

So here's where you come in! We've already started our list of 99 goals / things we'd like to do as a couple...but we need your help! 

Give us your suggestions -- we're all ears :-)

The final 100 days

We are down to the final 100 day countdown til I am Mrs. Feetham!!

Wedding planning has been SO. MUCH. FUN! Each part of it has made me say, "I should've gone into the wedding planning business" or  "I wish I worked at a bridal store so I could help other girls find their dress!" or "I wish I were a graphic designer." Of course in reality, I wouldn't want to do any of those things for a living... but it certainly is fun doing them on the side!

I know I haven't updated on my wedding plans much, mostly because I still want the element of surprise on our wedding day.  I don't want to spill too many details or post too many pictures, but I WILL offer my checklist (snagged from Megan at Fried Green Pickles)...and give an idea of just how much thought we've put into our big day and how many things we've already checked off the to-do list:

Set a date

Book venue

Book Rehearsal Dinner venue

Book photographer

Reserve hotel room block

Book musicians (ceremony & reception)

Ask bridal party to be in the wedding

Book caterer

Create wedding website - www.wix.com/thefeethams/ourwedding

Register

Book florist

Shop for wedding dress

Book officiant

Wedding shoes!!!

Take engagement pictures

Design / Print / Send out save-the-dates

Select & order bridesmaid dresses

Select & order grooms(men) tuxes
Design layout for reception

Find veil

Book cake baker

Hire day-of-coordinator

Find or purchase cake knife and server

Find or purchase toasting glasses for bride & groom

Order guest book

Design / Order / Print invitations

Find a calligrapher or send envelopes to Auntie Mimi!

Engagement announcement in Post & Courier and Goose Creek Gazette

Find MOB & MOG dress

Choose wedding jewelry

Find a garter - thanks Morgan!!

Book makeup artist

Book hair stylist

Bridal portraits / Hair & Makeup trial run - scheduled for October 12

1st dress fitting - August 9

2nd (and hopefully final) dress fitting - September 27

Make junior bridesmaid kissing ball

Lingerie shower - August 17

Make map flowers for cake

Find the perfect cake topper

Design & Construct indoor centerpieces

Design & Construct outdoor centerpieces

Choose flowers at Charleston Flower Market for BM,toss bouquet, & outdoor centerpieces

Flower girl dresses

Flower girl baskets

Ring bearer suit

Monogram shower - September 22

Design & Construct cork installation (? may or may not do)

Order Bridesmaid gifts

Order Groomsmen gifts

Buy flower vases for the cake table

Mail invitations - first of October

Buy rehearsal dinner dress

Suit for Stephen at rehearsal dinner

Bachelorette party!! - October 13

Purchase Stephen's wedding band

My wedding band!

Couple's shower - tentative in November

Create wedding day timeline

Decide on Signature cocktails

DIY aisle markers
DIY Groomsmen bouts with excess BM dress material

Design & Print Wedding programs

Get marriage license

Final music selections to DJ & ceremony musicians

Book honeymoon!!

Book wedding day transportation

Final vendor payments (venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, officiant, D-o-C, and ceremony musicians)

Getaway dress?

Book wedding night hotel room

Order thank you notes

Wedding announcement in Post & Courier and Goose Creek Gazette

Walk down the aisle & say I do!

whew. Can we get married already?!?

Wedding updates!

1. Bridesmaids dresses came in!!!

I am so excited about these dresses (almost as excited about my own dress. ...Ok not quite. But excitement level is through the roof)!  I have always loved the look of silk chiffon BM dresses. And when I hear silk chiffon, 2 designers pop into my head. 

Amsale and Bari Jay. 

I did some online scouring trying to find a company that could sell these designers at a lower price than the local bridal boutiques.  I found one, Toast Bridal, that didn't sound sketchy, didn't ship from China, and carried my beloved Bari Jay dresses for more than $50 less than local bridal stores. 

The reviews were hit and miss, but many of the bad reviews came from those who'd shopped in store. I decided to have some faith, take the risk, and order all 5 dresses together (1. so they would all be cut from the same dye lot and 2. so we would only have to pay 1 shipping price)

So glad I went with Toast Bridal. The dresses are PERFECT!! And shipped 3 weeks before I expected.

No girl is the same shape (duh), and some styles look better on particular bodies, so each of my girls are in a different dress that accentuates their best features and compliments each gal so beautifully! My bridesmaids are all already so pretty ;-)

Y'all. I am going to have the best dressed bridal party. Ever.

2. Bouts & Flowers

Very ready to tackle my next DIY project. The groomsmen bouts. 

When thinking of the guys' flowers, I thought about how much I love the wedding color (google bari jay misty blue and you'll see what I mean) and knew I wanted to closely match this color with the boutonnieres. Then I thought...if I want to match the bridesmaids dresses, USE the bridesmaids dresses!

The extra material cut from the bottom of each of the bridesmaid dress will be cut and used to make fabric flowers for the groomsmen's bouts...kinda like this:

But with a few little added details like a "stem" and leaves,

(made with patterened scrapbook paper accenting the misty blue color)

And a little lace accents as well as french netting. 

If I have any leftover material, mom and I will make shoe clips for my "something blue" - if not, I guess it'll be my garter!

Other flower plans: I have a florist to make my own bouquet as well as the mothers and grandmothers corsages. The plan is to get flowers from Charleston Flower Market and DIY the bridesmaids bouquets when everyone is together the day (or day before that) before the wedding. The junior bridesmaid flower will be a kissing ball: 

Currently in the process of making one with crepe paper flowers...almost done!

3. Formal Invites

Design is complete!! As big as my love affair with cotton paper and letterpress invites with custom calligraphy are, I just can't justify spending over $400 on invitations. After months of designing, edits, and proofing, we've finalized the design and the paper/envelopes/pocketfolds/cardstock is all ordered and it's ready to go to the printers!

If only I could learn how to write with some sort of consistancy :-(

I've tried. I have to fold. 

Calligraphy is just something I can not do. 

Know anyone who doesn't write like a 10 year old? And won't mind addressing a few envelopes for me??Send them my way!

4. 1st Dress Fitting

Last but not least, I had my first dress fitting!!

I have gone through a roller coaster of emotion the past 36 hours.

Anxious, excited, nervous. Now very nervous.

So much has to be done to the dress, and the seamstress (bless her) traveled all the way from Yemassee to do a house call and come to mom's house yesterday for the 1st fitting. I'd not met her before but she was highly recommended, she is charging about half the price (hello!!) as the average seamstress for alterations, and she didn't charge for travel. Seems too good to be true, right? It broke my heart to watch her leave my house with my dress, and September 22nd CAN NOT come soon enough. I can't wait to see my dress again...and have it *hopefully* fit perfectly so it won't need to leave again before my Bridal portraits in October. Cross your fingers (and your toes, people)!!

Love is a Father

Somewhere between the adventure of boyhood and the responsibility of manhood,

there exists an entity known as a father.

Fathers come in various sizes and exhibit assorted behaviors,

but they all live by a similar doctrine.

A father must be strong when he feels weak,

he must maintain composure when he feels like crying,

and he must steadfastly stand tall when he feels the world crumbling beneath him.

His wife adores him,

his friends admire him,

his grandson looks up to him,

and his daughter feels it all.

A father is a magical being. You can ignore his tirades,

but you can't ignore their causes.

You can disregard his demands,

but you can't resent his right to demand.

He has been an integral part of your life,

and you'll never forget the occasions when he built you up

so high you thought you'd explode.

You'll never forget the times you cried because you'd let him down,

and you'll never forget the comfort you found in his words

of consolation given when you needed to known someone really cared.

You might as well face it. His role isn't easy, but his part is just.

He can't be replaced or rejected,

only partially reimbursed and his words recalled.

But he is always remembered.

Whatever you do,

wherever you are,

however old,

whatever experience causes you to become,

you'll always know that what it takes to make a father,

makes you happy you have one.

Love is...having a father.

-Judith Apperson    

Thank you, dad, for all you've done for me.

I'm a lucky daughter to have you,

And Stephen is a lucky man to gain you.

IronGirl Atlanta

As mentioned in a previous post, my cousin Morgan and I traveled to Lake Lanier in Atlanta, GA to compete in the IronGirl triathlon. 

OK, OK, so it's not an Ironman distance. It's not even a 70.3. It's actually a sprint distance tri, about the same distance as my very first tri. But it was hands down THE hilliest bike ride I have ever faced. 

I had read the warnings from other gals who had participated in this race. Most of them were newbies (as if I'm not!) and said it had 3 very steep hills, many of which people had to walk their bikes up. Well, I have never had to get off my bike and walk up a hill, so I brushed the warnings off to the side and went on a total of 2 bike rides to "train" for this race lol

Big mistake.

Morgan & I, in pure naive bliss before the race

Before I start my re-cap, this race normally occurs in June. This year, it was in May, and the May weather had not exactly been warm (read, if you're from the north, the water is like bathwater, if you're from the south, it's downright frigid). The water temp was expected to be in the high 60's. And the races I'd been to in the past, if the water temp is not above 72, literally everyone is in a wetsuit. So...I decided I wanted to try and race with a wetsuit, never having an opportunity to get in some open water training in the wetsuit.

I ordered one from wetsuitrental.com (highly recommend) and I had it shipped to Morgan's house in CO since that's where I would be the week before the race. I was ecstatic pulling the rubber seal suit out of the box and ran upstairs to try it on.

It wouldn't come up.

I looked, and felt, exactly like this. I couldn't pull the suit up my legs. I felt like a whale! The more I fought the tight black rubber, the more I began to sweat. The more I sweat, the more I realized my effort was futile. Instead of giving up, I called my cousins in to help me pull it up...going beyond their bridesmaid duty!

They couldn't pull it up either! In fact, Morgan struggled so much, that I heard an "uh oh" then saw the tan of my butt peering though a half dollar sized hole in the side of the suit. ..on both sides. Finally giving in, I plopped down on the bed and uttered the words no girl likes to admit. "I should go up a size." I called wetsuit rental and they shipped a NEW wetsuit out to me, overnight, at no extra charge!

It fit!! Don't look so surprised, Morgan

I had the suit, I swam just fine in it at the local pool, and I was ready to go the morning of the tri.

Too bad there were probably only 10 people wearing wetsuits...

As the tables had quickly turned on me, I didn't want to look like the "newbie" in a wetsuit, so I ditched it and made my way to the starting line. I'm really glad I did though, because the water felt pretty warm!

This is just my wave! Over 140 women

And this was Morgan's puny wave. Just over 20 women

Obviously not as popular a sport from younger girls haha. I started in the very very back of my wave (I was actually running back and forth 30 seconds before the start trying to figure out which side looked less likely that I'd get kicked in the face or scratched). I squeezed in on the inside between the mob and the buoys, had a little struggles in the first minute, getting my breathing down and trying to get a breath in without the splashing water of other girls. I made my way out of the "washing machine" and got into a steady pace, passing as many people as I could. 

The bike route was gorgeous when we were in the actual water park area. But once we exited that, it was the most grueling, hilly ride I've ever experienced. At one point, I began to actually worry, for the first time in any race, "I'm not going to have anything left for the bike."

Of course when adrenaline kicks in, it's a whole different story ;-) During the bike route, Morgan passed me, and eventually, I'd completely lost sight of her. During the run, she passed me on her way IN when I was on my way OUT! Seeing her gave me that extra push, and I was able to finish the race stronger than I ever had, and completed the 5k in a time I normally finish *just a 5k in! (I guess that means I could probably push myself harder in road races)

IronGirls!

Morgan ended up finishing 11 minutes faster than me!

...there's always next year ;-)

Southern Wedding Blogger!

My blog has been listed in I love Southern Weddings Magazine!!

View other southern brides' blogs here

I personally recommend my friend Stephanie's sister Megan @ Fried Green Pickles

Also love: Style me swanky

Hello Dallau

Sweet Iced Tea Soiree

Small Chic Home

Wedding Venue

Ohh Charleston, why do you have to be so beautiful? It's IMPOSSIBLE to pick a venue in this town that is more perfect than the next. Plantations, Antebellum and lawns, riverfront, farms and barns, beachfront...the possibilities are endless! There were 2 reception locations I'd leveled it down to, and Stephen pretty much gave me free reign with this decision:

1. Harborside East in Mt. Pleasant

helloooo view!

Breathtaking place. Marble floors, wooden walls with antique paintings on the wall, chandeliers surrounded by leather sound barriers, dark green marble tables included inside, and tonnns of wrought iron tables and chairs outside, heat lamps included, covered patio with option to roll down sides, with fans and lights under it, stainless steel outdoor bar, movable cocktail bar, amazing bar area inside...and do I need to even MENTION the view?! This place would be tough to beat. Check out a 360 video view here

2. I'on Creek Club

ahhh!

This place is gorgeous. Chi photography photographed a wedding here and I absolutely fell. in. love. It's also on the water, though a tad bit more inland on the Mt. Pleasant side of the Cooper River...so you get more marsh view which is so beautiful at sunset and just screams Charleston. There are tables and chairs included on the inside, however since we are having our ceremony in a church, we would only need the place for the reception. This is a b-e-a-utiful venue, but I think it's even more beautiful for a couple actually getting married outside here on the lawn. So for us, we wouldn't get the full use out of the space.

Harborside has an AWESOME view of the Cooper River Bridge- which means alot to both Stephen and I since we have ran the 10k over the bridge 3 times together. I knew I wanted to have a view of the water, so anywhere inside and inland Downtown were out.

A little history on the building: It used to be the site of the old Zinc restaurant- in fact, our caterer helped open the kitchen and get them on their feet. Their feet quickly sank though and the restaurant went under, becoming a site for weddings, receptions, dinners, and large meetings. A few years ago they closed it though, because it was sinking in the marsh. They have finally completed the necessary restoration and reconstruction (if you find old wedding reception pics of the place, you'll see that they've taken out a large square fountain outside, as well as a few landscaping details on the brick patio).

They re-opened in October for weddings, so this is actually the first "wedding season" they've been open to the public since 2009! So to make this venue even more special (was that even possible?!) was that is still seems exclusive and not too too many couples have been married/had receptions here. YAY!

It's just amazing on the inside and Lindy, the manager at Harborside was so nice and accommodating. I don't think we could have decided on a better location. We can't wait!

aNOTHER tri?

Yep, last year just wasn't enough; I'm getting ready for my third tri!

And my cousin/bridesmaid will be competing with me in her very first
(and hopefully not last)

 It might be hard figuring out who's who from the back haha

...but I'll be way ahead of her anyways OHHHH

I sadly haven't been training NEARLY as much as I did last year. I have run 3 races though...

Columbia's 'Get to the Green' 5k on St. Patrick's Day

Waiting during the 1 hr delay for the Cooper River Bridge run (10k) to begin

Last year, I finished the bridge run 18 minutes quicker than the first year I ran it.

This year, my goal was to shave off another 15 minutes.

I came so close!! Finished 11 minutes quicker :-)

And a week after the bridge run, I did the Newberry 5k with my co-workers and their families

We each placed in our age group!

Chad is my supervisor in the sunglasses flanked by his 2 sons! Chad placed first in his age group

(he was the only male in his age group but that's our little secret!)

And his son placed 2nd in his age group

Next to me is our ATS's son, who placed 3rd in his age group

Then there's me, who placed 3rd in my AG

The girl ahead of me beat me by 5 seconds, FIVE!!

..had I only known this during the race

I did beat my goal by 3 minutes though!!

Stephen placed 1st in his AG!!

Engagement Pics and Vendors

Before I even got engaged, there were 3 vendors I knew I'd HAVE to have when I got married.


1) Landon Jacob Productions - photography
When I moved to the Earlewood area of Columbia, I met my neighbors, Landon and Jordan Thompson, a husband and wife photography/genius/crafy duo. If you look through their blog, you'll quickly see why I wanted them to be our photographers. Their work is so amazing and has been featured in Charleston Weddings, Southern Living- Wedding, Style me pretty, Ruffled, Get Married, and Southern Wedding Magazine. To view our Engagement Pics, click here!

2) Cricket & Kyle - catering
Every April, Summerville holds the Flowertown Festival the same weekend as the Bridge Run. Stephen and I went with Erin in 2010 and stumbled upon one of the food stands serving made-to-order crab cakes. Shut the front. door. They were hands down THE best crab cakes I had ever had in my life. And that is a TAAAALL order to fill coming from a girl raised in Charleston and a boy raised on Maryland blue crabs. I took their business card and promised them, whenever the time came that I got married, I would most definitely be booking them...on their crabcakes alone. I've carried that business card with me for 2 years! Luckily for us, turns out all their food is AMAZING! The company is actually named after the owner (Keith's) children. Keith is the nicest person, and gave us a sampling of every single food item we wanted at our wedding, no charge. I can not wait to have everyone at the wedding discover just how awesome this family owned, local company is.

3) Sinclair Ray - DJ
I have been to my fair share of weddings. No other DJ has been better than Sinclair Ray from Mandy and Robert's wedding back in October. He was so much fun and very professional. So as soon as I attended one of the Charleston Bridal expo's with my mom, aunt, and MOH, I made a BEE LINE to Sinclair to book him!



As far as all other vendors, I truly plan on doing most other things myself! I have the time to plan, I consider myself pretty crafty, and most of all, I know the little details will be most important to Stephen and I if we put our own thoughts and ideas into them.

Insert with bookmark attached

The Save the Dates were printed and put together ourselves, (and we plan on doing the formal invitations as well).

the insert with bookmark flipped up

coming to a mailbox near you!

I'm getting an old friend and awesome cake decorator to bake our cake (and decorate them with these). The flowers, we will all be putting together from Charleston flower market ourselves. And the centerpieces will all be DIY as well! We've already nearly finished cutting all the wine bottles!

 

Our wedding website

After many weeks of editing, our website is finally complete!!

To view the finished product, click here

Paper Flowers DIY

Many of you know that Stephen is a Geography major and you can find many maps hanging in frames around our house. We wanted to incorporate this somehow into the wedding decor, without creating a theme that revolved around maps/travel. I remembered my parents still had all of the road maps they used before the age of GPS and online turn by turn directions!

I found the maps, and got a little creative:

Not entirely sure what we'll do with them yet. Perhaps put them on the cake, or use some of the large wine bottles we have to put branches in and attach these flowers to the branches. Either way, I'll be sure to post the final product!